Year in Review: After a strong 2008 with limited playing time (.384 wOBA in 275 PAs), Spilborghs fell behind on the depth chart in 2009. His strikeout rate rose (22.4% in 2009, 18.7% career) and his walk rate dropped (8.8% in 2009, 9.9% career – both bad signs for a 30-year-old late bloomer (.346 career wOBA, first full season at 27) trying to make his case. His defense is good on the corners but below average in center, so it's his offense that will determine how much he plays in 2010. It looks like he just needs to make contact (76.3% in 2009, 79.1% career) and turn out line drives like he used to (17.5% in 2009, 19.6% career) in order to rediscover his excellence at the plate. The one nice thing he did in 2009 was up the fly-ball rate (36.1% in 2009, 30.1% career), which could be good for his power totals.

The Year Ahead: Spilborghs has a massive asterisk next to his name. No, the asterisk has nothing to do with performance enhancing drugs. Instead, the big, limiting flaw in his game has to do with his splits. Spilborghs murders lefties (.850 OPS versus southpaws) but isn't as exciting against the larger portion of the league (.759 OPS versus righties). Much of the difference is because of his lack of power against righties, but whatever the case may be, the flaw has been consistent over his entire career. With an asterisk like that, a player's upside is limited and his chance at an every day job in Colorado is severely murky at this point. Barring a trade in the Rockies outfield, that makes Spilborghs the fourth outfielder and provides him a chance at another 400 plate appearances. Spilborghs is currently a fifth outfielder and a miss in most formats in 2010. (Eno Sarris)

Profile: With crowded outfields in Colorado, Spilborghs has dutifully held down a part-time platoon role for the last five years, and he’s expected to serve in that capacity once again in 2011. With Brad Hawpe out of the picture, there may even be an expanded opportunity for Spilborghs, who is coming off a pretty strong offensive season by his own standards. However, as a right-handed batter, he’ll likely get the short end of the playing time stick in a job share with Seth Smith, and if Dexter Fowler finally has the breakout the Rockies are expecting, Spilborghs could find himself actually playing less than he did a year ago. If given 600 at-bats, he might produce double digits in home runs and steals and be a decent fantasy outfielder, but that scenario is pretty unlikely. Unless you’re drafting him as a hedge against Fowler, you can probably do better. (Dave Cameron)

The Quick Opinion: The kind of guy who was born to play a specific role on a Major League team, he's not much of a fantasy asset, even with the Coors Field factor.

Profile: A drop in effectiveness coupled with better play from the Rockies’ starting outfielders conspired to limit Spilborghs’ role, and rather than pay him in arbitration, Colorado chose to cut him loose in December. He used to stay in the lineup because of his ability to mash lefties, which he did particularly well in 2007 and 2008, when he posted .431 and .399 wOBAs against them, respectively. Since then however, it has been a much different story, and that story took a dark turn in 2011, when his wOBA against lefties dropped to .265, which looked a lot like his .266 wOBA against righties. The drop was seen when he pinch-hit as well. A .326/.426/.454 hitter in 169 pinch-hit appearances entering the season, Spilborghs hit just .212/.350/.303, and while pinch-hitting obviously is a series of small samples, it is another example of how he was ineffective in the part-time niche that he had carved out for himself in Colorado. Spilborghs’ major league days may be numbered. (Paul Swydan)

The Quick Opinion: Spilborghs’ performance and playing time nose dived, and as a result he is most likely going to have to earn his way back to the majors on a Minor League deal and is probably not a viable fantasy option in any format heading into the season.